Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart

Who are you? Have you ever wondered where you get your identity; what exactly defines you as a person? The obstacles in our lives shape us people, Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart illustrates the circumstances one man and his son face in an Ibo village in Nigeria. Okonkwo, the protagonist/antagonist has a tragic flaw, the fear of weakness which ultimately causes him to expect more from his son, Nwoye who never falls short in disappointing him. The relationship between the two is not the most desired seeing that they both do not show the affection most father-son relationships do. Traditionally, most sons follow their father's footsteps, however, this is not the case for both

Growing up in an environment where one’s parents and society restrict the behavior of that individual, can be a very challenging situation to be in. This was so for Nwoye. Raised in the Igbo culture, social order was said to demand conformity. It was a culture where he was forced to act a certain way, or be punished by his father Okonkwo, which wasn’t a type of lifestyle Nwoye would want to be living all his life. The book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye to exemplify the outcomes in a relationship, of a father forcing masculine and cultural tradition values his son, Nwoye. Although, Nwoye’s curiosity on the Igbo culture and will to become the person that he wants to be, comes before him even if it calls for going against

In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s “whole life was dominated by his fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (page 13). Achebe showed Okonkwo’s struggle with fear and strength throughout the novel. He was a great wrestler and warrior, and a great farmer of yams in Umofia. He was a hardworking and motivated man, unlike his father, who Okonkwo thought was lazy. Although the tribe viewed him as a strong and powerful leader, he struggled with inner fear. His life was dominated by fear. He lived in fear of being considered weak, being a failure, and being like his father. Although Okonkwo struggles with inner fear, he is also portrayed as a character with strength because he makes a living, supports his family, and is successful in his job. Chinua Achebe is proposing that strength is being superior to others without having to be violent, having titles, and not allowing fear to stop you from what you want to do.

Many people look at unique social groups in their own way. In the novel, “Things Fall Apart,” by Chinua Achebe, the men are seen as superior and powerful than anyone else. In the novel, it states that men have to meet a certain expectation to be seen as worthy and to be respected. On the other hand, women are represented by being less than the men in any situation. They are seen as objects and trophies for the rich powerful men. The word “women” is used as an insult to men that hold no titles. The importance of women being seen less than a man is that many cultures see this as normal and natural, because in this case the Igbo culture wants men to be respected more than the women.

Women in the Igbo society are not as respected as men and they are treated badly. In order for the men to prove their power, and look manlier they tend to mistreat their women by beating them. In the novel Okonkwo beats his wife. However, he beats her at a time where he was not allowed to because it was the week of Peace; moreover, he did not care and kept beating her just because she did not cook, and instead went to do her hair. “He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s return. And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. His first two wives ran out in great alarm pleading with him that it was the sacred week. But Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through,

There are many misconceptions about the country of Africa, from Africans not having a civilized society, to them being poor and unhealthy. In the book, Things Fall Apart, award winning author, Chinua Achebe takes readers into the world of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria and how they live in a pre- and post- colonial society. He writes to target a westernized society, in an effort to break the stereotypes that Africans are not civilized. In order to inform people on African culture, and to show that they are educated people, Chinua Achebe writes about the religion and government of Africans.

Cultures cannot acknowledge other cultures, for each one believes they are superior. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart centers on an isolated African tribe. When Christian missionaries arrive in Umuofia from Europe, they cause uproar among the tribe with their alien religion. The missionaries begin to build a church and establish a small community within the tribe’s land, which divests substantial power away from the Igbo tribe. Okwonko, a respected member of his clan, must face the changes caused by the missionaries. He attempts to hold both his clan and family together as the missionaries unravel and suppress his culture. Achebe shows that Christianity not only guides the Igbo people toward better education, but also divides their families

Imagine your favorite TV show, and think about the characters. Which character is your favorite? Most of us would say it is the main character, the one that is the most relatable. That character is called the protagonist, and it is often the one that we identify with the most. In contrast to the protagonist, a character we think about less often is the foil character. This character is the complete opposite of the main character. Usually, a foil goes through the same events as the main character however he will see things differently and have a different opinion. The purpose of this character is to shed light on the main character, and to show how things could work out differently

Things fall apart is a classic novel written around the turn of the century, the novel focuses on the protagonist who we can also call a hero, Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected leader within the Igbo tribe of Umuofia in eastern Nigeria. Strong individual with a passionate belief in all the values and traditions of his people. Chinua Achebe presents Okonkwo as a particular kind of tragic protagonist, a great man who carries the fate of his people. Okonkwo is a man who is inflexible and driven by his Abiding faith to uphold his cultural way of life; yet, he experiences a life of great tragedy. Okonkwo’s life in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart appears tragic according to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Okonkwo is a warrior, a wrestler, and a man with personal wealth. Okonkwo has three wives and ban full of yams, so he was able to provide food for his family members. Despite the amount of success and power Okonkwo embodies, he is bound to face tragedy through fear of weakness, the loss of his beloved Ikemefuna, and his decision to commit suicide.

Chinua Achebe was born in Europe in 1930 during the transitional period of colonialism. He attended the University of Ibadan and later became a professor at two different universities, David and Marianna Fisher University and Brown University. To educate and inform the Nigerian people of the Umuofia village, Achebe wrote the novel Things Fall Apart. He wants to demonstrate that the Umuofia people that they were not primitive prior to the arrival of the Europeans. His purpose is to inform the Umuofias that the Europeans did not create the culture of their villages. To convey his message, Achebe used Okonkwo to be the protagonist of the story and to be a representative of the traditional lifestyle of the Ibo people. In the novel,

Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is an excellent piece of literary work that addresses the history of post-colonialism in Africa. The writer intentionally situates a colonized people as the cultural norm while portraying the colonizing people as outsiders, or as “the other”. Achebe’s work is meant to correct people’s misconception that African culture and society is savage and primitive by narrating the story of the colonialization of the Igbo people from an African point of view. The novel depicts the tensions and conflicts within the Igbo society as well as being under colonial rule. The justice system of the Igbo people impacts the lives of everyone within the community. They have complex social institutions that delivers

The main objective of Chinua Achebe in his book Things fall apart (1958) is to depict openly and clearly the culture of the Ibo people of the West Africa (Bloom 49). Contrasting the European views of the Africans such as Conrad 's book titled Heart of Darkness; Achebe depiction narrates involved rituals, customs, and laws and comes up with personal attributes. Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart shows the aspects of full functionality and life. Nevertheless, Achebe still upholds his aim and eludes giving the Ibo any unjustified sympathy, selecting some their customs, for example, the compulsory neglecting of infant twin in doubtful circumstance (Bloom 49)

Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, once said, “When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.” In his novel Things Fall Apart, Achebe depicts the impact of one story on the Igbo society, how stereotypes heavily influenced the perspective of the Europeans who came to exploit Africa, and how Africans struggled to get their voice heard. The novel is about a violent and independent man named Okonkwo, and how his religion, power, and identity was disrupted by the emergence of the Europeans that discarded the laws he followed. Achebe satisfies his purpose of giving Africans a voice in their story by contradicting commonly held stereotypes about Africa such as their animal-like behaviors, their lack of deep intellectual understandings, and their low-ranked position compared to others. He achieves his goals by setting his story in a realistic setting and lightning the rich culture and traditions of the Igbo people.

Things Fall Apart, the critically acclaimed novel, by Chinua Achebe brings to light the transition that occurred due to European colonization in Africa. Okonkwo, a member of the Umuofia tribe, is deeply rooted in his religion, culture, and traditions. The Umuofians are exact and precise when making decisions as they relied on their ancestors and religious beliefs to guide them. As members of the Igbo religion, they have different view point, explanations and ideals than what is commonplace in current western civilization. Using a system of retribution and repayment in order to maintain balance in their clan. But, that does not affects how they should be viewed and discussed. We see how, through the colonization of Nigeria, their religion, culture, and traditions slowly fall apart.

‘’Things Fall Apart’’ novel tries to bring back up cultural, social as well as spiritual basics of traditional Igbo (Ibo) existence from the year 1850 and 1900. The novel cannot be fixed like truthful societal and political old times of Ibo society since it is a work of invented story. However, the novel describes disagreements and apprehensions in Igbo society. It also depicts changes initiated by colonial ruling and Christianity. The author mentions that European colonialism operates as a powerful as well as well-built mediator of the change within Ibo society. Additionally, Christianity attracted the trivial associates of the Igbo society. Igbo and other societies were changed considerably due to this variety of deal with Europeans. A few societies expanded in dimension and authority as marketable centers, whereas others go through great losses in the course of slave invasion. Hostility also gets higher, and conflicts tactics tat are distorted due to the use of weapons.